Mangle



Nov. 10, 1936. H. w. ALBRIGHT 2,060,273

MANGLE Filed NOV. 16, 1935 Patented Nov. 10, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE .3 Claims.

This invention relates to mangles or ironing machines and more :particularly to that type used in commercial laundering establishments where a large quantity of ironing is done and where steam and compressed air supplies are available.

The principal object of the invention is to remove the steam generated in the damp material being ironed as soon as it is generated and while the fmat'eria'l :is being ironed in the machine.

Another object 115 to thoroughly dry the ironed material after'the material passes from the principal ironing operation of the machine and before the material :leaves the machine.

,A further object is topreheat the "damp :material to :be ironed to thereby drive off excess moisture before the'material passes into the principal ironing operation of themachine.

And a still further fobje'ct is to apply ironing pressure of the ironing rollers upon the ironing shoes when the machine is in "operation and to relieve the pressure and remove the rollers from engagement with the ironing shoes when the machine is not in operation.

-In the accompanying drawing illustrating the invention in a selected embodiment Fig. 1 is a side elevationshowingparts thereof broken away;

Fig. 2'is a top plan view showing a part'thereof broken away;

Fig. 3 is .a detail sectional view of one of the ironing rollers;

Fig. 4 is a detail "sectional view of one of the piston chambers used in applying and relieving ironing pressure of the rollers onthe shoes; and

Fig. 5 :is a :detail sectional view of the air valve.

Referring to the drawinga main frame 16 has a main ironing shoe 1 rigidly mounted therein. The ironing shoe has a large steam chamber 8 therein which extends from the lfront'end of the shoe preferably about two-thirds the distance "to the other end. A smaller steam chamber "9 is located in the rear end 'of the shoe. A suction chamber I 0 :is provided near the front end of the fshoe and preferably about one-third the distanceto the rear end thereof, and another suction chamber I! is provided between the steam chambers 8 and 9. The suction chamber 10 is perforated in its faceat ill whichis coincidental with the face of the shoe and its depth is less than the thickness 'of the shoe so that the-steam chamber '8 surrounds three sides of the suction chamber Ill. The suction chamber H is perforated in its face II which is coincidental with the face of the shoe and is alsoperforated in its back at I I" which is coincidental with-the back of the shoe. 'The :steam chambers 8 and :9 are connected to a suitable source of steam supply by the valved pipe 12. .A main ironing roller 1lf3 is journaled in blocks 1'4 at either end thereof and which are slidably mounted in guides secured to the 'main frame 6. Air cylinders 16 are secured to the main frame *6 and have pistons i i (Fig.4) therein whichiare connectedto :the blocks ['4 by piston rods 18. Each air cylinder It has ports :l9 :and 20 connected by air lines 2| :and 22 to the valve -23 =(Fig. 5'). The valve 23 is connected :by an 'air line 24 to a :suitable 'source :of compressedair supply. The valve is also-equipped with an an exhaust pipe 25. A 'valve operating handle 26 is adapted coo-operate the valve *to permit the compressed air to pass'into the line '2'! to force :thepistons 1:1 down '(Figs. 4 and 5) :so that the periphery of the main ironing roller I3 will exert pressure :against the ironing shoe I and at the same time :the valve permits the "air below the pistons in the cylinders It to be exhausted through the valve and its exhaust pipe 25. Moving the valve handle to the left (Fig. 5) will connect the supply line v24 andthe line 22 -to permit the compressed "air to enter the cylinders l6 below the pistons. At thesame time the line 2| will be connected to the exhaust'pipe '25 to permit the air above the pistons rin'the cylinders IE to be "exhausted. This operation will raise the pistons to relieve the roller l3 from pressure upon and engagement with the shoe 1. A looking rod 21 extends through an opening in one of the guides I 5 and "is pivotally engaged with a leverf28 at -29-and the other end of the locking2rod 2:! extends beyond thelever 28 and is adjustably engaged with the handle 26. A coil spring 30 surrounds the locking rod 2'! between the lever 28 and the handle '26 so that when the hand1e 26 is moved to the left (Fig. 5) the spring is compressed and the locking "rod 2! is thereby urged to the left 'to engage the block M until the pistons raise the ironing roller so that an opening 3| in the block 14 becomes alined withthe looking rod when therspring-iafl forces the locking rod into the opening .31. The lever 28 is rigidly mounted on a rod 32 which extends "across the machine andhas as its other end a'lever 33 mounted thereon and pivotally engaged with another locking rod 34 which operates in the same manner as the lockingrod 21. When the locking rods 21 and .34 engage the openings in the blocks 14 the main ironing roller 13 is held up out of engagement with the ironing shoe 1 and in inoperative position when-the air supply to the valve is shut 01f. When the handle 26 is moved to the right (Fig. 1) after the air supply to the valve is turned on the handle engages adjusting nut 26 (Fig. and thereby retracts locking rods 2! and 34 to disengage them from the blocks [4 whereby the roller will drop down into engagement with the shoe 1.

A motor 35 is provided and is operatively connected to the ironing roller l3 through a gear box 36 and a driving chain 3'1. A belt 38 extends around the ironing roller l3, between the roller and shoe F, around the end of the ironing shoe having the steam chamber 9 located therein, around a roller 39, and around a conventional adjusting roller 40. A conventional belt tightening roller 4| is provided to keep the belt in proper taut condition at all times. A discharge belt 42 extends from below the roller 39 to the right of the machine (Fig. 1). The belt 42 is driven from the gear box 36 through a gear 43 to move the belt in the direction of the arrow (Fig. 1).

When the material to be ironed is admitted to this part of the machine it enters on the left side (Fig. 1) of the roller I3 between the belt 38 and the ironing shoe 1 and travels between the belt 38 and shoe 1 around the end of the shoe to the roller 39 where the material is dropped onto the belt 42 and carried out of the machine.

A suction pump 44 is operated by the motor 35 and is connected to the suction chambers l 0, H. The suction chamber In is perforated on its face at H) so that when the damp material being ironed passes thereover the steam generated therein by the heat from the ironing shoe is withdrawn from the material and is discharged by the pump 44. The suction chamber H is perforated on its face at H to remove the steam generated in the material being ironed after the material has left the suction chamber ID. The back of the suction chamber H is perforated at H" so that when the material passes over the end of the ironing shoe having the steam chamber 9 located therein, the steam generated by this drying process may also be withdrawn from the material and be discharged by the pump. It will thus be seen that while the damp material is being ironed the steam that is generated therein due to the heat of the ironing shoe will be removed from the material as it is generated. After the material has passed from beneath the ironing roller the ironing shoe is still in contact with the material to thoroughly dry it after it is ironed and the steam generated at this point in the path of travel of the material will also be removed therefrom so that the material will be thoroughly ironed and dried upon being discharged from the mangle.

My invention contemplates the use of and I prefer to use a preheating or preironing device which has the advantage of preparing the material to be ironed before it enters the main ironing mechanism of the machine, which has just been described, although the preheating device is not essential to the successful operation of the mangle. A sub-frame 45 may be mounted on the main frame 6 at the front thereof to carry the preheating or preironing mechanism. This mechanism consists of another ironing shoe 48 which may or may not have suction chambers therein and which is rigidly mounted on the subframe, and an ironing roller 47 journaled in blocks 48 at either end thereof and which blocks are slidably mounted in guides 49 on the subframe. Air cylinders 59 similar to the cylinders l6 are provided to raise and lower the ironing roller 41 into and out of engagement with the ironing shoe 46. However, the pistons in these cylinders are raised to exert ironing pressure and lowered to remove the pressure and to accomplish this the air line 5| is connected to the air line 2| and the air line 52 is connected to the air line 22. These connections provide that when the valve handle 26 is operated to raise the main ironing roller l3 the roller 41 will be lowered and when the handle 26 is operated to lower the main ironing roller l3 to exert ironing pressure the roller 4! will be raised for the same purpose. A chain 53 operatively connects the ironing roller 4'! with the gear 43 to operate the roller 4'! in the direction of the arrow (Fig. 1). A small roller 54 is provided adjacent the periphery of the ironing roller 4'! and strings 55 pass thereabout and about the roller 4'! as shown in Fig. 3 for a purpose hereinafter described. The subframe 4| also carries a feed belt 56 for feeding the material to be ironed to the bight between the shoe 46 and roller 41 and is operated by a chain 51 connected to the gear 43 to move the belt in the direction of the arrow (Fig. 1). The material to be ironed is spread upon the feed belt 56 which feeds the material into the bight between the roller 41 and shoe 46. The material then passes partly around the roller and under the shoe 45 and is kept from sticking to the roller because of its dampness by the strings 55 which feed the material into the inclined end of the shoe 1 for the main ironing operation as heretofore described.

The preheating mechanism is primarily for the purpose of partially drying out the material being ironed before it receives its main ironing operation between the ironing roller [3 and shoe 1 but it also partially irons the material so that the main ironing operation is facilitated to this extent. When the machine is desired placed out of operation the rollers l3 and 41 should be removed from contact with their respective shoes by operation of the air valve 23 so that the usual padding on the rollers will not become flattened or the belt or padding become scorched. The roller [3 is held from contact with its shoe by means of the locking rods 21 and 34 and the roller 41 is held from contact with the shoe 45 by gravity when the air pressure is shut off at its source.

While I have illustrated and described a preferred form of construction for my invention, it is to be understood that this is capable of variation and modification and I therefore do not wish to be limited to the precise details set forth but desire to avail myself of such changes and alterations as fall within the purview of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a mangle having a main frame and an ironing roller mounted on said frame, an ironing shoe cooperatively engaging said roller and comprising a steam chamber for heating the shoe and a suction chamber having a perforated face. coincidental with the face of the shoe and a perforated back coincidental with the back of the shoe, means supplying steam to the steam chamber for heating said shoe, means for conducting the material being ironed across the perforations in the face and back of the shoe, and means producing suction in the suction chamber whereby steam generated in the material being ironed during the ironing thereof is removed immediately therefrom and the material will be dried before leaving the mangle.

2. In a mangle having a main frame and an ironing roller mounted on said frame, an ironing shoe comprising a pair of steam chambers for heating the shoe and a pair of suction chambers, one of said steam chambers extending from one end of said shoe beyond the middle thereof and surrounding one of said suction chambers on three sides, the other of said steam chambers arranged at the other end of said shoe, and. the other of said suction chambers interposed between said steam chambers, said first mentioned suction chamber having a perforated face on the fourth side, thereof coincidental with the face of the shoe and said other suction chamber having a perforated face coincidental with the face of the shoe and a perforated back coincidental with the back of the shoe, means supplying steam to the steam chambers for heating said shoe, means for conducting the material being ironed across the perforations in the faceand back of the shoe, and means producing suction in said suction chambers whereby the material being ironed will have the. steam generated therein removed immediately therefrom through the perforations in the face of the suction chambers during the ironing of said material and the material will be dried by the heat from said other steam chamher and the steam generated in the material during the drying operation will be removed from the material through the perforations in the back of the shoe.

3. In a mangle, a main frame, an ironing shoe rigidly mounted on the frame, an ironing roller mounted on said frame for movement to and from said shoe, means for engaging the roller with said shoe in cooperative ironing relation thereto, an endless belt operated by said roller and passing between the roller and shoe, around one end of the shoe, and over the back of the shoe, said shoe comprising a steam chamber for heating the shoe and a suction chamber having a perforated face coincidental with the face of the shoe and a perforated back coincidental with the back of the shoe, means supplying steam to the steam chamber for heating said shoe, and means producing suction in the suction chamber whereby steam generated in the material being ironed during the ironing thereof is removed immediately therefrom and the material will be dried before leaving the mangle.

HARRY W. ALBRIGHT. 

